Vital Capacity Calculator

Your details

Predict uses the Baldwin-Cournand-Richards reference equations. Spirometry mode uses your measured lung volumes.
Adult age in years. The Baldwin equations are adult reference equations and are applied from age 18; children need paediatric reference equations instead.
years
Standing height in centimetres.
cm
ft
in
Vital CapacityPredicted reference value
4.15L

Maximum air exhaled after full inhalation (IRV + TV + ERV)

Vital Capacity4,149mL
4.15 L
Low<2.5Below avg2.5-3Normal3-5.5Above avg5.5+

Your predicted vital capacity is 4.15 L.

  • This is a predicted (reference) value, not a measurement. By definition it is 100% of predicted for your age, sex and height, so a smaller number here (older or shorter people) does not mean reduced lung function.
  • Interpretation uses percent predicted, not litres: 80% of this figure is 3.32 L. A measured VC below that is the usual threshold for further evaluation.
  • Measured VC from a spirometer commonly differs from any population equation by 10-20%, and modern practice increasingly uses the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) 2012 equations, which also account for ethnicity.
  • Vital capacity declines with age at roughly 20-30 mL per year in healthy adults. Regular aerobic exercise can slow this decline.

Next stepIf your measured VC from spirometry is less than 80% of the predicted value, a respiratory physician should be consulted to rule out restrictive or obstructive lung disease.

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